"Long thought absent: Elon Musk reveals that his team at X discovered the Vine video archive"
Vine, the popular short-form video app showcasing 6-second videos on a loop, was acquired by Twitter in 2012 for $30 million. However, the app was shut down a few years later due to Twitter's inability to monetize it and possibly because it was ahead of its time.
Recently, Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), announced efforts to restore access to the original Vine video archive and to bring back Vine in a new AI-powered form. X discovered the Vine video archive and is working to restore user access, though the classic app remains discontinued without presence on app stores.
Musk confirmed plans to relaunch Vine with AI features but has not shared a specific release date or full details on the new app. As of August 2025, no official full public relaunch has occurred, and the question of whether Vine will be fully relaunched by the end of 2025 remains open.
Meanwhile, the future of TikTok in the U.S. is uncertain. Congress has passed a law requiring TikTok to separate from its parent company or face a permanent ban. Some reports suggest that an entirely new version of TikTok could be built for the U.S. audience instead.
Billionaire investor Frank McCourt Jr. has expressed interest in more than just buying TikTok - he wants to transform the entire internet.
It's unclear what's next for Vine, but bringing back the short-form video app with new features could be a smart idea in the context of TikTok's uncertain future in the U.S. The restoration of the Vine archive is actively in progress, signaling at least partial return of Vine content access.
The deadline for TikTok to comply with this law is mid-September. Stay tuned for more updates on these developments.
News about Elon Musk's plan to restore access to the original Vine video archive, and potentially relaunch Vine in an AI-powered form, has been circulating in the business sector. In the realm of social media, this could potentially compete with entertainment offered by TikTok, especially considering its uncertain future in the U.S. due to Congress's recently passed law.
